Diego Armando Maradona was on top of the world in 1986. After winning his second world championship in Argentinascoring, in the process, two of the most famous and controversial goals in football history, he was awarded the Ballon d’Or, given to the best player in each edition of the World Cup.
Player was the protagonist of Argentina’s second championship
Photo: X/Reproduction / Profile Brazil
However, three years later, while the Argentine star made history with the Napolilifting the UEFA Cup (currently the Europa League), the team’s only international title to date, its home, in the city of Naples, was robbed. In the action, the criminals took the prized trophy that Maradona had won in 1986, thus creating one of the biggest urban legends in the football world: where did Maradona’s Ballon d’Or end up?
A story that gained traction at the time explained that the mafia had stolen the item to melt it down and produce gold bars. Other mouths claimed that Maradona actually lost the trophy in a bet on a poker game. “We did a lot of research on this”highlighted the CNN Francois Thierryfrom the auction house Aguttes.
In 2016, after an anonymous buyer snatched a batch of trophies, Thierry noticed a piece and began investigating. He examined the production information, the date, the irregularities on the cup, the patina and oxidation, concluding the authenticity of the trophy, it was Maradona’s Ballon d’Or. “When we realized that everything was OK, it was an incredible discovery”he stated.
Maradona’s Ballon d’Or goes up for auction
Next month, on June 6, Aguttes will take the trophy to auction and, if we consider other items of the athlete already sold, the value will be millions. In May 2022, the shirt that the striker wore in the historic game against England, in the quarterfinals, was sold for US$8.8 million (R$45.25 million). In the same sense, six months later, the ball used in the match, played by the “Hand of God”, was snatched for US$2.5 million (R$12.85 million).
“We expect millions (again), but we don’t know exactly how much, because there is no trophy like this in the world… from the pinnacle of (Maradona’s) career. It’s an opportunity of a lifetime for the potential buyer”says Thierry.
